South Africa gov’t backs Zuma over Malawi slurs
The South Africa government has backed its President Jacob Zuma for referring Malawi as one of the poorest nation with bad road infrastructure in Africa.
Zuma on Monday evening said: “We can’t think like Africans in Africa generally. We’re in Johannesburg, this is Johannesburg. It’s not some national road in Malawi.”
Zuma made the comments at the Gauteng ANC Manifesto Forum at the University of the Witwatersrand in the commercial city of Johannesburg.
But his office claimed on Tuesday that the remarks on Gauteng e-tolls were distorted by the media.
Presidency spokesperson Mac Maharaj defended the address, saying what Zuma means is that Gauteng roads can’t be compared to roads in other countries or towns.
“The words have regrettably been taken out of context and blown completely out of proportion.”
Maharaj said Zuma means comparisons shouldn’t be made as Gauteng is “the heartbeat of South Africa’s economy.”
“The remarks were made in the broader context of South Africa.”
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